Olympic Season

I wanted to keep you all updated on my progress and what the rest of the season entails.

It has been close to 4 weeks since I had seen Dr. Cochran about my digestive problems. Immediately after taking the medication I started to feel better. As time went on it seemed that every few days or so I would start to get symptoms like I had before I went and saw him i.e. bloating, cramps, nausea, acid reflux, anxiety and just a general since of nervousness. After doing some research I found that killing Candida Albicans (the stubborn yeast overgrowth) would often cause die-of symptoms for a few weeks. I went back and saw Dr. Cochran after two weeks and he found that I had eliminated about 60% of the Candida and that was most likely why I was still suffering from some of the symptoms.

Since learning a lot more about how Candida works and what it takes to kill it, I have been implementing a Candida free diet along with other remedies and my medication. A lot more difficult than you think it is, a Candida free diet allows you to eat nothing that breaks down into sugars in your digestive track. Basically any wheat, yeast, dairy, corn, soy, peanuts, mushrooms or fungi, alcohol and anything that comes in a box or has preservatives or food additives.

Seems like a lot to cut out right? It is. Foods I can eat include lots of green leafy vegetables, proteins like fish and grass fed meats, beans, coconuts, avocados, garlic and fermented foods. The hardest part about sticking to the diet is finding versatility in the meals you eat. Since a lot of food will help feed Candida I have been stuck with a few basic meals.

I have learned a lot about this stubborn yeast parasite by finding information on the internet. Such sites as Candida Albicans Cure and Candida Diet have offered some great advice, but are sometimes a little conflicting. Once I found out what was truly wrong with my digestive track things have been going a lot smoother. Some days I will eat something that I think my body will have no problem with and then about a half an hour after I eat it I start having major digestive issues. This tells me that I'm not close yet to having my Candida at a healthy level. My investigative work has told me that it can as long as 90 days even on medical remedies to fully get you body back to where you were before the overgrowth happened.

Since I haven't been on a healthy track for quite some time I thought it best to continue to rest my body for next years Olympic season. I informed USA Track and Field that I won't be able to compete in the Pan America Game this year which was a hard thing to do. I don't like feeling as though I have missed an opportunity but I have to continue to think big picture of my career, and that's being one of the top three athletes at the Olympic Trials.

As my off season continues to progress I will keep you updated on where I stand health wise and when my training will pick up in the coming months. Until then continue to send Jenna and I good thoughts as we await the birth of our baby girl in September. Here's a few pictures of the family as we all continue to grow.